Articles (incl. New APA/Zotero changes in DOI)

For one article:
1. Check the first page of article (usually in smaller print near journal logo, copyright, or near author email address).
2. If not on article, check database record/abstract (sometimes labeled as DOI). CINAHL began adding DOI's in 2009.
3. If DOI does not appear on either article or in database, search the Cross/Ref DOI Lookup using article author/title

For list of references:
1. Create an account at Cross/Ref. After you submit your request, you will receive an e-mail. Please click on the provided link to activate your account.
2. Next, go to Simple Text Query Form and enter your e-mail address, then copy & paste entire reference list into box. Click submit.

Do steps in order:
1. Look for web address on the article.
2. Type complete journal title in web browser address bar.
3. Check database record.
4. Search journal title in Ulrich's (works great for journal title with common words).

NOTE: Journal titles which begin with BMC or other online-only journals often use document numbers instead of issue numbers, as in this example in volume 15: 15:366. However, do not use the document number in your reference; instead, provide the volume number followed by page numbers. See third example below.

Article in a journal (continuous pagination throughout volume)Organista, K. C. (2009). New practice model for Latinos in need of social work services. Social Work, 54, 297-305.Article in a Popular MagazineCaloyianis, N. (1998, September). Greenland sharks. National Geographic, 194(3), 60-71.Article in a Newspaper (Discontinuous pages)Von Drehle, D. (2000, January 15). Russians unveil new security plan. The Washington Post, pp. A1, A21.

Web Pages (incl. CDC & Mayo Clinic Staff)

(Informally Published or Self-archived Work, Manual, p. 212)

Individual web page

Since web pages and documents are similar to print, references to them include the same elements such as author, date, title, etc. Note that proper names and acronyms are capitalized. Date of retrieval is included because "the source material may change over time" (Manual, p. 192, and apastyle.org).

IMPORTANT NOTE: the web page title is not italicized because APA considers web pages informal publications. If the web page is also available as an online document/report (for example in PDF), please download that report, cite in-text appropriately, and use the online report format instead (click here to jump to those examples).

Web page: Individual person(s) as author(s) (note capitalization of proper names, & when persons are authors you must include name of website)Lewis, O., & Redish, L. (2011). Native American tribes of Wisconsin. Retrieved April 19, 2012, from the Native Languages of the Americas website: http://www.native-languages.org/wisconsin.htmWeb page: Group of people as authors: Mayo Clinic Staff (if citing more than 1 section, use "Print" URL)Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014). Gestational diabetes. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from
http://www.mayoclinic.org
/diseases-conditions/gestational-diabetes/basics/definition/con-20014854?p=1Web page: Organization as author, shows update yearCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Diabetes & pregnancy. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/DiabetesPregnancy/Web page: Organization as author, no update year (note capitalization of proper names)Milwaukee Public Museum. (n.d.). Stockbridge-Munsee history. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://www.mpm.edu/wirp
/ICW-158.html

Note regarding citing an entire web site source

When discussing an entire web site (as opposed to a specific page on the web site), an entry does not appear in the reference list, but is cited within text as shown in the following sample sentence:
The International Council of Museums web site provides many links to museums, codes of ethics, and the museum profession (http://www.icom.org/).

Illustrations retrieved online

Photographs, drawings, etc. copied or adapted from a Web Page

Notes: APA Manual (p. 192) states: "Do not include retrieval dates unless the source material may change over time." Since web page content often changes, provide the date of retrieval. Also, if you must split the URL between two lines, do so before a slash, but do not split http://.

Following illustration title, insert type of medium in square brackets. Illustration types include diagram, photograph, painting, drawing, bronze sculpture, etc.National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (2012). Dermal absorption [Diagram]. Retrieved March 11, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/skinIf illustration does not have a name/title, insert description including type of medium in square brackets following year. This example does not have a publication date.Florida Hospital. (n.d.). [Untitled photograph of a woman.] Retrieved March 11, 2013, from http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.org/news/hospital-enhances-rehab-program-with-new-experia-equipment-for-vitalstim-therapy

Place title in the author's position; alphabetize on reference list by the first significant word in the title; cite in text using a few words of the title, or the whole title if it is short, in place of the author's name.

Title of the review and authorship appears in italics at the beginning of the review narrative (example provided below). Also note that many entries published in MMY contain more than one review. Title of the test is capatilized.

Review of the Comprehensive Assessment of School Environments by NANCY L. ALLEN, Research Scientist, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ:

Master's thesis indexed in Dissertation ExpressMcNiel, D. S. (2006). Meaning through narrative: A personal narrative discussing growing up with an alcoholic mother (Master's thesis). Available from Dissertation Express database. (UMI No. 1434728)Doctoral dissertation indexed in Dissertation ExpressMet, L. (1976). A study of the development and validation of a high school leadership training program: Evaluation of the student leadership program (Doctoral dissertation). Available from Dissertation Express database. (UMI No. 7703303)Doctoral dissertation abstracted in Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI).Gould, J. B. (1999). Symbolic speech: Legal mobilization and the rise of collegiate hate speech codes. Dissertation Abstracts International, 60(02), 533A. Master's Thesis from a university outside of the United States, does not appear in Dissertation Express.Hansen, C. F. (2007). Active support for instructors and students in an online learning environment (Master's thesis, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada). Doctoral Thesis from a university outside of the United States, publisher is a university & name of province is included in name of university, then do not repeat the name (APA Manual, 6.30). Also, does not appear in Dissertation Express.Ni, E. A.-L. (2012). New paradigms for active learning (Doctoral thesis, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada). Doctoral Thesis from a university outside of the United States, publisher is a university & name of province is not included in name of university (include province postal abbreviation). Also, does not appear in Dissertation Express..Watts, E. (1999). The freshman year experience, 1962-1990: An experiment in humanistic higher education (Doctoral thesis, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada).

Note: For government documents which do not have a personal author, the Manual 6th ed. indicates providing the parent agency, followed by the sub-agency/-agencies. Also, not all U.S. government documents are published by GPO. As is the case for the second example below, when the publisher is the authoring agency, write: Author in the publisher's field.

Law / Legal

For legislative and legal materials, APA uses the conventional legal citation format found in The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation. Guidelines and additional examples appear in the Manual on pp. 216-224.

U.S. Government Congressional document
For legislative materials such as hearings, reports, bills, etc., provide title, Congress, session, and date.

Charter schools: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth, and Families of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of Representatives, 105th Cong. 1 (1998).Court decision (note that no part of entry is italicized)United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683 (1974).

Course Materials (syllabus, lecture notes, presentation slides)

When course materials such as a syllabus, lecture notes, or presentation slides (e.g., PowerPoint) are available only from the course instructor, a classmate, or accessible only through course management systems such as NMU EduCat, Moodle, or Blackboard, then such content is considered Personal Communications (APA Style Guide to Electronic Resources, 2nd ed., p. 31).

Personal communications do not appear in the reference list, but are cited within text as follows:

Although referencing the full-text of an article is preferred, abstracts may be used as sources (Manual, p. 202).

Abstract found in database - Abstract as secondary sourceJohnson, P. D. (1998). Rural stroke caregivers: A qualitative study of the positive and negative response to the caregiver role. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, 5(3), 51-68. Abstract retrieved from CINAHL database. (Accession No. 1999045958)Abstract found on publisher web site - Abstract as original sourceWang, J. L., Lesage, A., Schmitz, N., & Drapeau, A. (2008). The relationship between work stress and mental disorders in men and women: Findings from a population-based study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 62, 42-47. Abstract retrieved from http://jech.bmj.comMessage posted to a BlogJacobson, J. (2009, November 8). Historic health reform bill passes but at a price: Women's groups have mixed reaction [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/11/08/historic-health-reform-bill-passes-but-at-a-price-womens-groups-have-mixed-reactionMessage posted to an electronic mailing list (archived)SaFeddern, T. (2004, May 10). Summary: EBN (nursing) resources [Electronic mailing list message]. Retrieved from Nursing & Allied Health Resources Section of the Medical Library Association (NAHRS), http://listserv.kent.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?LIST=NAHRSGraphic representation of data derived from a data set / data bank
When a figure (graph, map, chart, etc.) or table is generated/created from a data set/data bank available online, use the following to reference the data set. Since data sets/banks are frequently updated, provide the URL of the initial web page used to generate the graphic. Note to also properly caption & cite the resulting graphic or table. See examples of how to caption & cite tables & figures from another source.